8 hopefuls file for council races

By Josh Baugh :
February 15, 2011

San Antonio District 2 City Councilwoman Ivy Taylor (right, facing) takes an oath while filing to run for office at the city clerk's office. Several other candidates running for office also filed Monday.

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Four incumbents, a 19-year-old college student and a local lawyer who was elected in November to the Edwards Aquifer Authority are among the field of candidates seeking seats on the City Council.

Monday marked the first day of filing for a place on the May 14 ballot. The filing period continues through March 14.

Councilwomen Ivy Taylor and Jennifer Ramos, who's fighting an ethics complaint as she seeks a final term in office, rounded out the incumbents who filed Monday.

None of the four established candidates seeking a seat in District 1 filed paperwork Monday, but perennial candidate Lauro Alphonsus Bustamante, who ousted a renowned water expert from the EAA board in November, threw his hat into the ring. If he were to win, Bustamante would have to resign his EAA position.

Bustamante — who ran unsuccessfully for judge, Congress and mayor before nabbing the EAA seat — eschews fundraising, saying that accepting contributions muddies the waters and creates an appearance of impropriety.

“I think that I can help the public with all the knowledge and experience I have,” he said.

Bustamante said he's gained valuable experience from his tenure on the EAA board, where he said he's participated in three meetings, plus orientation. His law license once was temporarily suspended after a district court found he'd committed professional misconduct in his law practice.

In District 10, Perez plans to mount a campaign against retired WOAI Radio reporter Bud Little, who has yet to file.

Perez, a sophomore political science major, listed his parents' residence on the ballot application and said he plans to transfer to a local college after this semester.

“My permanent residence is in San Antonio,” he said Monday afternoon from Kansas.

Perez said he plans to run a campaign “without spending any money,” particularly through social media.

“I have a lot of great ideas,” Perez said. “I see a lot of things that could be implemented to make our city better. Some of them might be controversial.”